1. Field of the Invention
The invention refers to a vehicle with at least one front door and a front door latch and a sliding door or pagoda door as rear door with at least one rear door latch.
2. Description of Related Art
A pagoda door refers, in particular, to a rear door coupled by a pantograph-like hinge arrangement (see DE 196 34 369 C1), which swings open during the opening operation and is retractable mainly parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (closing operation is in reverse order). The front door is preferably a door arranged on a hinge, whose swiveling axis is mainly arranged vertically to the driving direction of the vehicle.
In vehicles and, in particular in cars, the connection of the vehicle roof to the vehicle body in forward and reverse driving direction is provided on both sides by supports, called A columns (front of roof), B columns (center of roof) and C columns (rear of roof). Vehicles without B columns are thus such vehicles, where the roof of the vehicle is not separately supported in the middle of the vehicle. In this context, vehicles referred to especially as coupes and cabriolets are known, which generally only contain two hinge-mounted front doors. There are, however, also vehicles of this type and limousines without B columns and with panoramic view, which also contain rear doors. In such vehicles, there is the option of equipping the vehicle doors with locking mechanisms attached individually for each vehicle door on the roof pillar and on the floor ledge (entrance ledge) (see EP 1 050 645 A1). In such an embodiment, satisfactory connection of the vehicle doors in the middle of the vehicle, that is where the B column is missing, can only be achieved with considerable design efforts, in particular, as these areas are subjected to considerable (wind) pressure at high vehicle speeds. The connection of the vehicle in the middle of the vehicle also only has a limited stability. When pushing the front door closed or pushing or sliding the rear door closed, considerable spring effects or retrospective spring effects occur, as a result of which, higher forces are required for correctly closing the vehicle doors.
US 2000/002 73 75 A1, on which the invention is based, also discloses a vehicle with at least one front door and a front door latch and a sliding door or pagoda door as rear door with at least one rear door latch, with the front door latch—without a B column between the front door and the rear door—cooperating with the rear door and the rear door latch cooperating with the door frame for the rear door.
Also various embodiments of vehicle door latches are known. In particular, latches containing at least a catch, a pawl, a latch mechanism with a closing assistance for the catch and a locking bolt to be encompassed by the catch on the vehicle body side, are known. The closing assistance serves to move the catch from an intermediate closed position or intermediate position to a fully closed position with the aid of, preferably, an electric motor, in order to make the closing operation as comfortable and reliable as possible (see DE 199 42 360 A1). Vehicle latches, where the door latch is equipped with such a closing assistance, are also referred to as power latches.
Also, vehicle door latches to which a power latch holder with, preferably, a locking bolt, adjustable by an electrical motor, is assigned are known, said motor moving the vehicle door into a final closing position (see DE 199 55 883 A1, DE 199 57 061 A1). The power latch holder is a closing assistance, moving the vehicle door against the resistance of, for instance, a door seal from an intermediate closing position into a final closing position but also serves to prevent any relative movement between the vehicle door and its door frame, producing noise and wear.
In contrast to the above power latch according to DE 199 42 360 A1, a so-called power latch holder latch disclosed in DE 199 55 883 A1 or in DE 199 57 061 A1, only moves the vehicle door from an intermediate closing position to a final closing position once the door latch has engaged into its fully closed position. At this point, it should be pointed out again that the pulling closed of the vehicle door, in case of a vehicle door latch designed as a power latch, is from the intermediate closed position of the catch, whilst the pulling closed of the vehicle door in case of a vehicle door latch designed as a power latch holder is from the fully closed position of the catch. In summary, the vehicle door is moved by the above vehicle door latches into a fully closed position (locking position), which in case of the power latch corresponds to the definition fully closed position and, in case of a power latch holder corresponds to the definition final closing position.